The present invention relates to methods of applying decals to surfaces, and more particularly, to a method of applying decals to various surfaces having a somewhat rough texture, such as the surfaces of products made from thermoplastic resins, leather, or synthetic leather. The process of the present invention is specific to printing on thermoplastic surfaces, but is also applicable to printing on leather or synthetic leather surfaces.
Corporate logos and the like are often applied to products made from thermoplastic resins, leather, or synthetic leather. Examples of these products might include coolers, ice chests, or sports equipment such as footballs, basketballs, etc. The present invention is directed to applying detailed multicolor graphic decals to the surfaces of these products.
The most common prior art process for applying detailed multicolor graphic images to rough textured substrate surfaces is direct screen printing or normal decal application. However, there are problems associated with these prior art processes. For example, it is very difficult to print detailed multicolor graphic images on hard rough textured surfaces without loosing some clarity, color, detail and registration of the graphical image. These rough textured surfaces tend to cause the printing to bleed and lose registration.
In addition, it is very difficult to apply decals directly on these surfaces. The decals often do not adhere firmly to the surfaces. The decals either peel off or are easily broken apart during normal wear and tear. Also, the decals are prone to being scratched d chipped.
The present invention arose during efforts by the inventors to develop a practical process for applying decals to hard rough textured substrate surfaces such as on coolers and the like that overcome the problems of the prior art. The inventors developed a new unique process for applying detailed multicolor decals to hard rough substrate surfaces using direct screen printing. The present invention's advantages over the prior art include the ability to apply a more detailed, sharper image decal that has more durability and is less costly to apply than in other prior art decal applying processes.